RICHARD E. GALE

RICHARD E. GALE Richard E Gale, age 83, died Tuesday 12-10-2013 at home with his wife and daughter. He was born in Fort Wayne Indiana and grew up in Ohio. Richard was an accomplished engineer, brilliant negotiator, talented mechanic and fix- it man. As a young man, he trained as Aviation Electronics technician in US Navy and served in the Military Air Transport Service in Hawaii and Philippines. While attending the University of Arizona in Tucson, he worked for an electronics firm designing and building custom aircraft electronics and managed production. He personally built a device that landed on the moon, and designed / built the packaging for an amplifier that survived several atomic bomb explosions. He was employed by Westinghouse Electric Corp for 18 years where he built semi-conductor chips, designed and built several manufacturing plants, including 17 acre under one roof manufacturing facility in Norman, Oklahoma. He also designed the containment vessel for the sodium cooled Breeder Reactor for Westinghouse's Clinch River project and assisted the Martin Marietta Co to establish a Technology Transfer Business incubator in Oak Ridge Tennessee. Richard moved to Santa Fe in 1984 to establish Venture Technology Institute, a business that assists entrepreneurs to establish a new business. He did consulting work with commercial building concerns to resolve complex mechanical problems. Richard enjoyed walks with his wife and dog in the park. He was an avid skier, enjoyed car racing and restoring old Mercedes. He was voted Driver of the Year in 1983 for most points accumulated in racing events around the country. Richard was very generous with his time and felt it was very important to serve his community and help others. He served as the secretary of the Santa Fe Rotary club, was a member of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce where he headed the Task Force for Legislative Action, served on the board of the Northeast neighborhood Association, served on the Orchestra of Santa Fe board, served for (4) years on the national board of Mercedes Benz Club of America and was a past president of the New Mexico section. He lived with his wife Betsy, the love of his life, and dog Sabrina. Richard was a generous, loving, man, loyal friend and devoted father. His daughter and son in law Candace and Gary Ames live in West Hartford, Vermont. His step son and daughter in law Brian and Annette Basham live in Denver, his step son Brandon Basham and Elizabeth Nesler and grandchildren Fisher, Hannah, Spencer and Cooper also live in Denver. He will be deeply missed by all those who loved him. Visiting hours will be held at Berardinelli Funeral Service, McGee Family Center room from 3 to 6 pm. Friends are invited to attend. Memorials may be directed to the Santa Fe Rotary Foundation P.O. Box 2465, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504. Berardinelli Family Funeral Service 1399 Luisa Street Santa Fe, NM 87505 (505) 984-8600 Please sign our guestbook for the family at: www.berardinellifuneralhome.com